B-List Archive
October 2003
Postings to the B-List.
Subject: B-List: Flotsam and Jetsam
Date: Wed, 01 Oct 2003 08:18:24 +0930
No, this is not about the obscure heavy metal band from Phoenix (Arizona)
called Flotsam and Jetsam. Rather I've used a bit of poetic licence to
group stories about things floating in the ocean and/or washed up ashore.
1. Message in a Bottle
a. "Woman gets 26yo bottled message"
< http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,6877571%255E13762,00.html >
b. "Swiss tourist finds old message in bottle"
< http://www.herald-sun.com/nationworld/14-375169.html >
2. "Rubber ducks spotted floating in the Pacific"
< http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s910822.htm >
"Rubber duck armada goes with flow to provide clues on current affairs"
< http://old.smh.com.au/news/0112/08/world/world19.html >
3. "Cubans found at sea on converted pickup truck"
< http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_802810.html >
"Cubans try to 'drive' over Florida Straits"
< http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/6368557.htm >
4. "Climate change blamed as largest Arctic ice shelf breaks in two after
3,000 years"
< http://news.independent.co.uk/world/environment/story.jsp?story=446434 >
5. "Whale stranded on golf course"
< http://www.nettavisen.no/servlets/page?section=1706&item=277142 >
6. "It's not an octopus, so what is 'the blob'?"
< http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s897695.htm >
7. "Flotsam and Jetsam" - a self-referential artwork
< http://www.pritchettcartoons.com/flotsam.htm >
Subject: B-List: The good, the bad and the chosen
Date: Fri, 03 Oct 2003 08:24:54 +0930
1. "The good, the bad and the chosen"
< http://film.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/Guardian/0,4029,970702,00.html >
The Guardian's report about the selection by 1500 film industry figures,
picked by the American Film Institute, of the top 50 heroes and top 50
villains in (US) films, based on the "legacy" and "cultural impact" of
each hero or villain.
The full list: AFI's Top 50 Heroes and Top 50 Villains Of All Time
< http://www.afi.com/tv/handv.asp >
Other AFI lists:
* AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies
< http://www.afi.com/tv/movies.asp >
* ...100 Passions (The 100 Greatest Love Stories Of All Time)
< http://www.afi.com/tv/passions.asp >
* ...100 Thrills (The 100 Most Thrilling American Films Of All Time)
< http://www.afi.com/tv/thrills.asp >
* ...100 Laughs (The 100 Funniest American Movies Of All Time)
< http://www.afi.com/tv/laughs.asp >
* ...100 Stars
< http://www.afi.com/tv/stars.asp >
2. The Reader's Digest 100+ Funniest Films
< http://www.rd.com/common/nav/index.jhtml?articleId=9526793 >
3. "Connery tops worst accent list"
< http://www.itv.com/news/864365.html >
Subject: B-List: 2003 Ig Nobel Prize Winners
Date: Wed, 08 Oct 2003 07:42:44 +0930
The Nobel Foundation is in the process of making the Nobel Prize
Announcements for 2003. For details see the Nobel e-Museum:
< http://www.nobel.se/ >
This post is about the announcement of the winners of the less
well-known Ig Nobel Prizes for 2003.
* What are the Ig Nobel Prizes?
< http://www.improb.com/ig/what-are.html >
* This year's winners
< http://www.improb.com/ig/ig-pastwinners.html#ig2003 >
A selection:
+ PHYSICS
Jack Harvey, John Culvenor, Warren Payne, Steve Cowley, Michael Lawrance,
David Stuart, and Robyn Williams of Australia, for their irresistible
report "An Analysis of the Forces Required to Drag Sheep over Various
Surfaces."
+ MEDICINE
Eleanor Maguire, David Gadian, Ingrid Johnsrude, Catriona Good, John
Ashburner, Richard Frackowiak, and Christopher Frith of University College
London, for presenting evidence that the brains of London taxi drivers are
more highly developed than those of their fellow citizens.
+ PSYCHOLOGY
Gian Vittorio Caprara and Claudio Barbaranelli of the University of Rome,
and Philip Zimbardo of Stanford University, for their discerning report
"Politicians' Uniquely Simple Personalities."
+ LITERATURE
John Trinkaus, of the Zicklin School of Business, New York City, for
meticulously collecting data and publishing more than 80 detailed academic
reports about specific annoyances and anomalies of daily life, such as:
What percentage of young people wear baseball caps with the peak facing
to the rear rather than to the front; What percentage of pedestrians wear
sport shoes that are white rather than some other color; What percentage
of swimmers swim laps in the shallow end of a pool rather than the deep
end; What percentage of automobile drivers almost, but not completely, come
to a stop at one particular stop-sign; What percentage of commuters carry
attaché cases; What percentage of shoppers exceed the number of items
permitted in a supermarket's express checkout lane; and What percentage
of students dislike the taste of Brussels sprouts.
+ ECONOMICS
Karl Schwärzler and the nation of Liechtenstein, for making it possible to
rent the entire country for corporate conventions, weddings, bar mitzvahs,
and other gatherings.
The rest of the HotAIR/www.improb.com has other amusing stuff too.
Subject: B-List: CNNNN: Chaser Non-Stop News Network
Date: Fri, 10 Oct 2003 09:11:24 +0930
CNNNN: Chaser Non-Stop News Network
< http://www.cnnnn.com/ >
"CNNNN is a news and current affairs channel owned and operated by ChaserCorp.
It was founded by ChaserCorp CEO David Stewart in 1983 to counteract liberal
bias in the media and remains the cornerstone of a television network that
now contains over 40 different channels, spans 294 countries and reaches a
potential cumulative audience of 100 billion people per week (source:
Roy Morgan)."
Not your average news network. They don't even pretend to promote journalistic
integrity.
"The home of newstainment"
"We report. You believe"
Catch live feeds on the ABC on Thursdays at 9:00pm.
Subject: B-List: Uglyfootballers.com
Date: Tue, 14 Oct 2003 08:12:09 +0930
Uglyfootballers.com
< http://www.uglyfootballers.com/ >
Why limit it to soccer players? Rugby players must surely take the cake as
the ugliest sportsmen. Their necks are thicker than their heads, which is
no mean feat!
Highlights:
* Ugly Files
< http://www.uglyfootballers.com/ugly_files/ugly_files.html >
* Rogues gallery
< http://www.uglyfootballers.com/rogues/rogues_gallery.html >
Streakers, Mullets and Men In Black sections, plus Ugly fans and Ugly injuries
* Beauty and the Beast
< http://www.uglyfootballers.com/players_wives/beauty_and_the_beast/
beauty_and_the_beast.html >
Attempts to examine the age-old conundrum:
Why are beautiful women attracted to ugly sports players?
I think the web site curators have taken liberties in this section by
choosing unflattering photos of some of the guys. And Posh Spice is
disqualified as a beauty, imho. But there are a few ugly mugs here.
Subject: B-List: Not your average, everyday marriages
Date: Thu, 16 Oct 2003 08:25:23 +0930
1. "Woman bridesmaid to ex-husband and mother"
< http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_819687.html >
2. "Identical twins marry same man 23 years apart"
< http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_824395.html >
3. "Two pairs of Identical Twins propose at identical time"
< http://www.diamondblog.com/archives/000403.html >
"Quarternary Marriages"
< http://www.twinstuff.com/twinswithtwins.htm >
4. "Cupid's Bow and Arrow of love"
< http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/09/30/1064819932786.html >
5. "Four brothers marry four sisters"
< http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_745405.html >
6. "Couple marry 21 years after being born in same hospital on same day"
< http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_825259.html >
7. "Inquiry into gypsy child wedding"
< http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3154994.stm >
8. "Girl married to stray dog"
< http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2003/06/19/114901-ap.html >
Subject: B-List: Old-Fashioned Junk Mail
Date: Mon, 20 Oct 2003 08:16:29 +0930
1. "NZ manure letter campaign raises stink"
< http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s902313.htm >
2. "Conviction upheld in mailing of garbage"
< http://heraldsun.com/nationworld/national/30-391404.html >
3. "Texas woman finds eyeball in mailbox"
< http://www.local6.com/news/2474615/detail.html >
4. "Man indicted for sending 8-legged letter to girlfriend"
< http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s909726.htm >
5. "How a $95,093.35 junk mail check changed Patrick's life"
< http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/g/archive/2003/09/17/moneytales.DTL >
6. "Postal service relents; recycling returns"
< http://www.summitdaily.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20030926/NEWS/309260101 >
7. "People send the funniest things"
< http://www.guardian.co.uk/post/story/0,11489,883002,00.html >
"You shouldn't send anything alive in the post, to be honest with you,"
says Ray Kennedy, his face quite serious as he sits in the Royal Mail's
special office in Belfast's quayside. "I would also prefer that people
didn't send anything dead in the post."
Subject: B-List: Teddy Bears in the News
Date: Wed, 22 Oct 2003 08:08:16 +0930
1. "Bear with me"
< http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/10/15/1065917479153.html >
A moving story about a pair of lost teddy bears reunited with their owner.
"David Perry, 26, was resigned to never seeing the bears again when they
tumbled off his roof rack as he drove from Beeston, Nottinghamshire, to
his home in Redditch, Worcs.
He admitted that he held out little hope of success when he rang the
Highways Agency to inquire if the cuddly toys, named Masher and Bruno,
had been found."
2. "Airline rejects teddy bear's flight plan"
< http://www.dmregister.com/news/stories/c4788998/22360926.html >
3. "Teddy bear fetches 250,000 euros at auction" (about $400,000)
< http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s900781.htm >
4. "Lost money a tough burden to bear"
< http://www.adn.com/alaska/story/3263830p-3293479c.html >
"(US)$50,000: Woman says cash was sewn into a toy, which was mistakenly
sold for $1"
5. "Airport workers find loaded gun inside boy's teddy bear"
< http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,92234,00.html >
6. "Australian housing officials ask for teddy bear's details"
< http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_768611.html >
7. "Teddy bears gather in Japan for anniversary"
< http://abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s693933.htm >
Subject: B-List: Great Falls, or Gravity Always Wins
Date: Fri, 24 Oct 2003 08:32:30 +0930
1. Defying the odds
a. "He went over Niagara and lived"
< http://smh.com.au/articles/2003/10/21/1066631405888.html >
b. "Austrian saved by a crane when parachute fails"
< http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s971223.htm >
c. "Paraglider escapes 130ft fall with broken rib"
< http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_831346.html >
"I am aware of the miracle. Paragliding was the most extreme thing I have ever
done, bearing in mind I never want to get married!"
2. "400-pound man rescued after he plunges through floor of mobile home"
< http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/florida/sfl-1016floorfall,0,5002866.story
?coll=sfla-news-florida >
3. "Fleeing inmate drops into US judge's chambers"
< http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s942701.htm >
4. "Man drops in on KF woman as she sleeps"
< http://www.heraldandnews.com/articles/2003/06/26/news/top_stories/sleeps.txt >
5. "Juliet hurt in theatre fall"
< http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hereford/worcs/3163770.stm >
"A performance of Romeo and Juliet had to be stopped when the lead actress fell
from the balcony during the play's best-known scene"
- Perhaps she literally fell head over heels in love?
6. "Edmonton man survives falling the equivalent of 12 stories down open manhole"
< http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2003/06/24/118767-cp.html >
7. Some lucky babies
a. "Quebec toddler unscathed by three-storey fall from apartment window" [Canada]
< http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2003/07/18/139721-cp.html >
b. "Tot survives 35ft drop" [England, link broken]
< http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2003392095,00.html >
c. "Toddler survives 130ft fall" [Romania]
< http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_801028.html >
8. Animals fall too
a. "Whale crashes family boat trip"
< http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s928888.htm >
b. "Caravan damaged after cow fall"
< http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/devon/3101264.stm >
c. "Dog survives 80ft cliff plunge"
< http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_581791.html >
Subject: B-List: Ten Ways to Stop Traffic
Date: Mon, 27 Oct 2003 08:17:45 +1030
1. "Raining cash on the German autobahn sparks traffic jam"
< http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s938492.htm >
"Cars stop on I-80 for blizzard _ of cash" [USA]
< http://www.rednova.com/news/stories/5/2003/08/20/story103.html >
2. "Beer truck overturns, slows I-4 traffic in Orange"
< http://www.local6.com/news/2512876/detail.html >
3. "Esca-peas cause traffic chaos"
< http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s882205.htm >
4. "Cheese toasted in Welsh truck blaze"
< http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s898687.htm >
5. "A chocolate highway to heaven"
< http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=29&art_id=vn20030924023058709C791912
&set_id=1 >
6. "Highway blocked by 800 baby pigs"
< http://news.excite.com/odd/article/id/355831%7Coddlyenough%7C09-22-2003
%3A%3A09%3A50%7Creuters.html >
7. "Mob wouldn't have a baa of it"
< http://news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,7501848%5E3102,00.html >
8. "Smelly wreck on Katy Frwy leaves drivers reportedly throwing up"
< http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/news/80503_local_smellywreck.html >
9. "U.S. 24 closed after tanker spills goo"
< http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20031021/NEWS01/31021014 >
10. "Work time's up, so conductor stops train in city centre"
< http://smh.com.au/articles/2003/09/22/1064082927575.html >
Subject: B-List: Unexpected Arrivals
Date: Tue, 28 Oct 2003 08:01:04 +1030
1. "Adelaide woman delivers surprise baby"
< http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s969730.htm >
2. "Woman surprised at toilet birth" [Cincinnati, USA]
< http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_826703.html >
3. "Omigosh it's a baby!" [Germany]
< http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/09/04/1062548946899.html >
Apparently not that uncommon.
Subject: B-List: Find Your Name Day
Date: Wed, 29 Oct 2003 08:07:04 +1030
I was originally going to send this B-List on October 6 (my name day), but
that was a public holiday, so I only posted it to my web log.
According to the site below, today (Oct 29) happens to be the name day for:
Clair, Clara, Clarence, Clarice, Clarissa
I have a friend (and B-Lister) in Singapore named Clarence, so Happy Name
Day Clarence!
Find Your Name Day - web site
< http://www.mynameday.com/index.html >
"What is Name Day?
It is an old European tradition. Every day of the year is someone's Name
Day. People all across Europe have been celebrating their first names for
centuries in the same way you celebrate your birthday."
Alphabetic listings to look up names:
< http://www.mynameday.com/findyourname.html >
The site only lists the 1800 most popular first names in USA and Canada.
Normally it's the feast day of a saint whose name one bears, but the web
site has found "appropriate" days on the calendar for people without names
having a feast day.
Subject: B-List: Scariest Moments on TV and Film + October Follow-ups
Date: Fri, 31 Oct 2003 08:19:18 +1030
1. Scariest Moments on TV and Film
Britain's Channel 4 recently ran a poll to find "the 100 Scariest Moments
on TV and film". The following articles report on or were inspired by that
poll:
* "Shining tops screen horrors"
< http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/entertainment/3215471.stm >
* "Top 10 Scary Moments in Horror"
< http://www.guampdn.com/news/stories/20031023/lifestyle/500948.html >
* "Scariest moments in film history: All fright on the night"
< http://shopping.guardian.co.uk/video/story/0,1587,1067048,00.html >
By the way, tonight is Halloween ...
"The History and Customs of Halloween"
< http://wilstar.com/holidays/hallown.htm >
Be warned that the site features some very annoying music.
2. Follow-ups to October Postings
[Flotsam and Jetsam]
* "Giant jellyfish turn up off Japanese coast"
< http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,7617736%5E1702,00.html >
[Not your average, everyday marriages]
* "Actress weds man who donated part of his liver to her"
< http://smh.com.au/articles/2003/10/18/1066364541664.html >
* "Couple get married before meeting each other"
< http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_748619.html >
* "A pretty uncommon couple"
< http://smh.com.au/articles/2003/10/21/1066631421351.html >
* "'Humane groom' to wed two sisters"
< http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,7715561%255E13762,00.html >
[Old-Fashioned Junk Mail]
* "1000 love letters could land luckless lady in lock-up"
< http://smh.com.au/articles/2003/10/16/1065917558047.html >
[Teddy Bears in the News]
* "For October, TBE stands for Teddy Bear Elementary"
< http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=10393647&BRD=2256&PAG=461
&dept_id=455823&rfi=6 >
B!?